Improvement in wheels



E. 'SWAS-EY.

Vehicle Wheel.

Patented Nov. 2, 1869.

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Mime/6a I a 1' fairy ll; 465m ".FEIEBS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGYON. D. C.

filinitril g t-atmagainst Letters Patent N 96,502,

dated No'vmnber 2, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN WHEELS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all to whom these presents, shall come:

Be it known that I, EDWIN SWASEY, of Milford, in the county of Worc ster, and State. of Massmrhnsctts, have made an invention of a new and useful Manufactnre. ot' \Vhcels for various purposes; and do hereby declare the fiillowing to be a; full, clcar, and exactdescription thercof, duc reference being had to the acconmanying drawings, making part of this specification, and inwhich- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and

Figurc 2, a transverse scctiou ot'a wheel constructed in accordancewith my invention.

"llie'object of this invention is to produce a wheel, for adaptation to various lalid-conveyanccs, such as carriages, vclocipedcs, steam fire-cngines, or vehicles of any description, as well as to various other pur-- poses, which shall be light, strong, and durable, and capable of being manuthcturcd at reasonable cost.

In the. accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invcntion,.a wheel is shown at A, as composed of'a hub, B, spokes, G O O, 850., t'elloe, D, and tire, E.

- The general arrangement of such parts being ,sub-

stantially the same as in whcelsnow in gcncral use.

In carrying out myinvcntiou, I form each spoke of the wheel of a cylindrical tube eithcr tapering or'of equal diameter from end to end, according to circumstances, the base of each spoke, and in some instances, perhaps, the outer extr mities being solid. The hubot'the wheel is composed of metal, preferably of cast-iron, on account of its low cost, such hub, in order to obtain the requisite lightness, being hollow, with the exception of an annular flange, (I, at

each end, and a central annular rib or extension, I), the openings of the flanges ll- (1 and of the rib I), being concentric with the axis of the hub, and forming bearings for the journal of the axle, the intervening chambers or spaces a c of the hub, serving as receptacles of the lnbricating-material.

The. base of each spoke, which,- as before observed, is prclerably solid, is driven tightly, or otherwise sccur'ely fixed within a series of holes made radially within the circumference ofthc hub, the central rib b,

before mentioned, creating a tirlu bearing of considerable length for each spoke.

In practice, it might, in some cases, be deemed advantageous to dispose this annular rib upon the outside. circumiercncc ot' the hub, which may be done am the wood to such anextent that its washer (1 shall abut against the outside of the metallic clasp, by this means forming two bearings or points of support for the spoke, onc' being, as before remarked,

the contact of the washer with the clasp, and the other the extreme end of the tenon against the wood of thc fclloc.

The tenons of thc spokes intervening between the metallic clasps, bci'orc mentioned, are simply let into the feline, as shown in fig. 1 ot'thc drawings, in which casc 'thc double. bearing of tllcavashcr, and the end of the tcnon l$ l)l)i2ldlll2ll. 1

The peculiar modc ot'joining the ends of thc felloes, and the combining therewith of the spoke, produces great strength at this point, which is usually the first to give out in whcels of ordinary manutin-tnre.

The employment of a metallic hub andspokes, as will be apparent to any intelligent.person, produces great strength, solidity, aml durability, and renders the'looscning of tho spokes within the hub impossible.

A joint of this description isafi'cctcd neither by dryness nor moisture, and will he maintained in apcrfcct condition for a great lcngth of time.

Claims.

Having thus described the nature, construction, and utility of my invention, 1

\Vhat L bclicvc to be novel, and original with myself, and desirc to secure by Letters Patent ot' the United States, is as follows:

.1. The peculiar-joint at the two abutting ends of port-ions of tlic fclloc, the same consisting of the overlapping clasp g, enclosing thc ends of the t'elloe, as explained, aml thc spoke B, with its washer d and tcnou e, thcwholc being combined and arranged in manner and for the purpose as herein shown and explained. I

2. A carriage-wheel, composed of the. hollow spokes and fcllocs jointcdtogcthcr, as specified in the preceding clause, in combinationwith the metallic hub provided with flanges a, rib b, and lubricatilig-chamber c, as and for the purposes herein shown and described.

EDWIN SWASEY.- itnesscs Lnox J. WILSON, Anox \VALDREN. 

